Impact
by ToneOfEchoes
Summary: (Di-Gata Defenders) With the Mega Ethos defeated, the defenders believe all has come to a close. However, a problem arises that challenges the team to weigh one life against the entire realm. Having sacrificed much along the way, Seth is forced to make the ultimate decision but Mel won't allow him to walk away without a fight. Continuation one shot from Di-Gata Dawn. SethxMel


**Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights reserved. I was so happy to finally finish Di-Gata Defenders! It took forever to find somewhere to watch the entire series. So, I wrote a one-shot about it a few days later and after much editing, I'm actually posting it :) This show should have its own category though. R&R~**

* * *

'_There is a point in the Medosian night when the second moon of Yin has passed the moon of Yan. This point is called El Ram Murah, or the time of longing, the moment between sunset and dawn, when the realm is in the deepest darkness and the soul longs for the light of truth. And in the end, the greatest truth when one is capable of accepting it is that each day brings new challenges, new rewards and new dangers.'_

Balance fell upon Rados after all the Di-Gata energy, vitality, and strength restored to the outstretched markings of the realm. The Ethos were defeated, leaving all looming threats to deteriorate along with the breaking of the Celestial Abyss. The icons split apart to their original form, five separate pieces that would be kept safe with the defenders, never to be needed again. After much loss and hardship, opposing the brinks of scattering battle for survival, the team returned home.

"Look at this place," Rion said, his eyes falling to the rubble and destruction. "The dojo is completely… destroyed."

Seth walked over, getting an eyesore of the place. A frown firmly grew upon his face and the slowness to his pace was noticeable when he took center of the group. "We'll just have to fix it up, better than before. We've done it plenty of times." The lethargy he felt built in his shoulders and ran through him effortlessly, causing a slight sigh placed in his words. "Hopefully, this will be the last."

"The Mortagarians should have headed back home," Erik added from the sidelines. "All the other sigil slayers should be gone too since Rion defeated the Mega Ethos. As for Malco and Flinch, they're never really a problem when they don't have anyone to take orders from. I still have the Primordial stones so I guess later on when everything is under control, I can work out a deal with the leader." He was surprised the offer was enough, but peace appeared to be attainable if they could get along and let past conflict be forgotten.

"It looks like all the Ethos vanished," the lead defender responded. "We should take a look anyway. Erik, you can make sure no more enemies are left hanging around unwelcome. Scan the area with your gauntlet. Rion, check out the south side, while I look around the inside of the dojo, well, what's left of it. Mel…" He looked about for a moment. "Wait, where's Mel?"

"Try over there." Rion pointed towards the entrance of the once shielded grounds. "They're arguing _again_ and it's been the whole ride back. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to interrupt. Mel scares me a little when she gets mad," he admitted sheepishly. "I wouldn't want her wizard powers thrown at me… again." Being taken over by his other half wasn't something he needed to reminisce, especially since it was Mel who attempted to use her abilities to help.

Seth shook his head at the thoughtless comeback. No one held anything against their youngest teammate for what transpired, but it wasn't long ago where all four of them hit the brute end of arguments so easily with the newest defender. "Let them talk. Come on." He glanced back at the two, standing apart. Adam was considered an asset to the team, showing up whenever he pleased. It's not that they didn't get along, but it was a rare concept to consider. He brought his attention forward, suddenly hearing his name. "What?"

"Wow, you zoned out," Rion chuckled, crossing his arms. "Come to think of it, back when Brackus and I kinda fell for Mel because of Azura and her brother's pet, you got hit with the same pink toxin and weren't affected at all." A grin came to his face. "Brackus said it might be because you already _like_ Mel. It makes sense to me. I mean, why else would you still be the same?"

"You know something, little man? You have way too much time on your hands if you're thinking about something Brackus said," he replied, circling the topic.

"That wasn't a denial," Erik chimed in with a raise of his eyebrow. "Maybe he has a point."

"We have work to do. So, stop getting sidetracked," he replied with a worn sigh. It's not like his feelings mattered when the Wizard of Yan already had someone else lost in her captivating blue eyes. But he always questioned why it had to be someone as shifty and untrusting as the wandering thief. There were times when he too felt his heart begin to race when around her, nearly every time. He turned his head, needing to focus on the matters at hand instead.

* * *

The shifting wind blew back her white hair, her arms remained crossed, and her face contorted in perplexity. An annoyance sheltered the female's words with an icy sheet of misunderstanding. "That's what you always say when you're avoiding the truth," Mel exclaimed, walking beside Adam after they parted from the group. "I know you haven't found your parents yet, but it's here one day and gone the next. It gets a little old and I can't rely on someone who vanishes so frequently."

He stopped, reaching for her hand, holding her fingers gently. "Come on, you know I always come back for you."

"Last minute," she retorted, her arm retreating. Normally when they met, every occasion was transparent and fleeting after seeing him disappear once again. She wanted a faithful relationship with someone but he proved to fall for almost any girl and forgot about her in an instant. It seemed as though he would always turn a blind eye to her emotions if a chance to take off arose. "You come, but never stay long."

Adam pressed his point. "That's who I am." He would stay, but it wasn't his place, almost like he didn't deserve to belong between a stable setting with someone so caring while he was unpredictable when it came to reliability. "I can't help that."

"I know," she replied, placing a few strident steps among them. It was a factor she could admit liking about him, but was also hurt that she wasn't enough for him to stay. It never changed, no matter what happened around them.

"What do you want me to do? Not find my real parents? Sticking around in one place for too long isn't my style." He folded his arms, subtly defiant in his action. "But you know how I feel about you. Ever since I met you on your way to Amos-Yan, I couldn't stop thinking about you. No matter where I went, you were on my mind. Why do you think I always came back?"

"I agree… you should get the chance to be with your real parents…" She would also do anything to meet her mother. It was a miracle she could experience the chance to speak with her grandmother. "Just… we can't be together if we're so far apart. Besides, if I recall our first encounter, you set us up to get robbed and pretended to save us just to steal Seth's Nova stone as a souvenir… But it's still the same. Back when we crossed paths in that desert town when we needed a healer, you made your point clear enough. You don't stick around for long. You're not a true defender, even though you were born to be one, but that was another excuse. Either way, you seem to get along fine without me."

"That was different. I can't keep sticking my neck out for people I don't know like you and the others blindly do every day. It's not in me," he admitted.

"Look, I don't want this. How am I supposed to believe you'd do that for me then when I need you? If you can honestly say you'd stay here and help out after you reunite with your parents, then I'll wait. But if not…"

Adam brought his hood over his head. "I can't make any promises, Mel. I'm sorry."

"Me too," she said, leaving.

* * *

Seth entered the dojo, walking the halls of the torn walls and scorched floors. He stepped over a pile of debris. "Man, this is going to take forever," he muttered, overturning a piece of rock which was once part of the ceiling. His eyes traveled upwards, seeing the open sky. It looked strange for some reason. The pale cobalt scene held a green tint locked inside its surface, combating the shining rise of sun light reaching at the edges. His stare was forced down when a shock came to his arm, causing him to drop the rock that remained gripped in his hand almost forgotten. "Well, Erik's tune-up didn't last very long."

A voice rang out from the side. "Seth! Seth!"

He turned around, unexpectedly meeting the orange eyes of a young girl, her voice consumed in panic. "Maia?" He was wondering if she was alright, but thought she might still hold onto a small grudge even though she knew the truth. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you see it?" she asked hastily, her small hands trembling. "The sky and the lights? You had to of seen it all. You were there too and couldn't have missed it!"

His head shifted from confusion. "Slow down and tell me from the beginning," the defender said, lowing to the girl's level, concern placed in his touch as it landed on her shoulder.

Maia took a breath and closed her eyes to have the memory recollect. Her trust automatically fell to him since the day they met. "When our Di-Gata energy returned to us and the Ethos were destroyed, didn't you notice the sky? There were numbers of bright yellow orbs coming closer and closer, growing in size. And then I saw something… A vision of you… You were dying."

"Your visions aren't always accurate," he assured, slightly taken aback by the comment, knowing they came true to an extent. "But these orbs you saw, are they still visible?" That could explain the abnormality he witnessed only a moment ago. But oddly enough, no one saw this. Maybe being lost in victory clouded their concern for the minimal speculation out in the vivifying atmosphere.

"No, well maybe," she said, shaking her head unsurely. "But I'm not making this up. Will you please come with me? I can show you where I saw them."

Her alarm was persistence enough. "Alright, just let me tell-"

"You have to come now," she said with urgency, grabbing his hand.

"Lead the way," he said, lowering his eyelids a fraction. She actually seemed scared, frightened to her very core. He could see she was slightly quivering, thinking it could be caused by her apparition.

* * *

Seth peered up when they reached a slab of desolate land, far enough from the dojo's hidden location. The spheres were right above them, glimmering within a vibrant hostility. "This is unbelievable," he murmured. "Why didn't we notice this before? It somehow feels familiar to me…"

"What does it mean?" Maia still held onto his hand, questionably looking up at him for answers.

"I don't know… I should probably…" He paused, sudden realization coming to him. Flashes of passages he read out of a particular book swarmed back into his mind as the collateral mass of information returned. "Wait a second… It's the breaking of the realm," he said with widening eyes. He recalled reading a chapter a while back when he was learning about the Tome of Al-mortigar during his studies before he and the others set out to uncover the Four Pure stones. "The destruction of the Ethos created rifts in the atmospheric range between our time and the past. I can't remember anything else about it or how to seal them… Maia, we need to head back and tell the others."

"But Seth… my vision."

"We have to do something about this before the rifts spread further apart and distort time and space." He looked down at her worried expression. "It'll be okay if we act fast. If worse comes to worse… that virus could come back and intoxicate the majority of people here." He uttered the last part more to himself, not knowing the extended danger this had in store for Rados.

"Virus? What virus?" Her inquiry came out low with a delicate tilt of the head.

"It's a long story, and now isn't the time to get into it." Glancing down at his mech arm, he clenched his robotic fingers together. He felt like a liability at times, but knew he shouldn't let the thought haze his judgment again. He couldn't cast like this though. If Erik didn't adjust it, then they'd be one defender short. For some reason, he could feel something was off with it, regardless of the sudden electrical malfunction from earlier.

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Erik asked in disbelief after hearing the story. "That can't be right. I never read anything or seen a scripture based on it. Are you completely positive this is it and not some aftereffect?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but I think we did more damage than good after destroying the Mega Ethos. Mel is looking for the book right now, so you guys can see I'm not jumping to conclusions." He exhaled heavily, placing his hands on the table. His fingers drew in closer, grazing across the slab of stone. "It's just like when we decided to crush the Order instead of sealing the Megalith. We caused the Ethos to break free. This time, Professor Alnar isn't around to help us. It's up to us to fix our mistake."

"We_ just_ saved the realm," Rion complained, leaning back against the wall, exhaustion emitting from his voice as he slightly slid down. "Can't we ever be _done_ for a change? I'd be happy with a day break or something. I'd even take an hour of relaxation, but I know what you're going to say. It's our job and I'm cool with that, really. You know I've always wanted to help but this is getting ridiculous."

"I know it can get overwhelming, especially when hope was so close," Seth consoled when glimpsing in the other's direction. "But a Di-Gata Defender's job isn't supposed to come to an end. It's every day. Take it or leave it, but I know you can stick through. You've proved that many times already."

Rion turned his head. "I know…"

"Here's the book," Mel said, coming over after digging through the fallen shelves. The tension in the room was felt, but easily ignored. "I skimmed through some of the pages and it's exactly as you said. We did cause this to happen… I can't believe we messed up again. And here I thought we made the right decisions along the way." Her lips curved downward. Adam ended up leaving and now this problem had to appear. She tried to extinguish the first thought from her mind and sadly enough it was easy, he's done this to her on multiple occasions.

"Ugh, can't anything be simple?" Erik sighed, placing his screwdriver down on the table. "Here's your arm, should be good as new."

"Thanks," he responded. "Mel, does it have a paragraph or something about sealing the tears?"

"Hold on," she replied, scanning the contents of the book once more. "Oh, here's something. It says… 'Once the Ethos are to be destroyed by the asterisk pieces of the complete Celestial Abyss, the individual fragments which were created by Wizards of Yan, will leak energy that evaporates into the atmosphere strong enough to rip through time and space.'" She viewed the words, not able say them aloud any longer but forced herself to read more silently. "It seems since Rion used the icons as armor, his Di-Gata energy, along with some absorbed by the Mega Ethos, was transferred to the affects."

"But does it say anything about stopping it, or closing the rifts?" Seth asked, adjusting his arm over his stone limb. "We don't have much time. According to Maia, this started directly after we claimed success, around dawn. And it's been almost twelve hours now."

"Your grandmother's stones might be helpful," Erik suggested after some thought. Everyone was left quiet, not expecting more work to be done.

Mel shook her head. "I don't think so. They were only needed to locate the icons, not send us off on visions of the aftermath."

"Let me see the book. I remember reading this somewhere, but I scanned over it quickly." The leader was handed the hardcover, his fingers loosely held onto the individual pages. "Here, it says only one stone is powerful enough to cover and repair the tears and that's the Nova stone…" They were lucky to recover it when they had and he kept it on his person at all times now. "But it also relies on the caster's energy to be permanently closed… That makes sense. It's strong enough to contain someone like Nazmul. If it's used in the opposite function to seal, it will work just as well."

"Yeah, but Seth, it has a cost," Mel pointed out, saying the words that lay on everyone's mind. "Your life…"

"I'm aware," he said almost reluctantly, playing it off negligibly as he reached into his pocket and held the stone in hand. "But I'm the only one that mastered this stone's power and if it's to save the realm then I can't be selfish. We can't afford that, not after everything we've been through."

Rion took a few steps over, grabbing the book out of sudden frustration. "There has to be a different way. We can find one. There's still enough time." He met Seth's fixated gaze with a bold connotation of his own. He held them together. They needed him more than anyone else.

"We already lost Kara," Erik added, closing his eyes at the memory of his younger sister. She forfeited her life for him and although he missed her dearly, this couldn't happen again. For her, he wanted the group to stay together. But he felt an obligation to put his life on the line instead. "And you know we're a mess without you leading. I can give it a shot-"

"It has to be me. We have twenty four hours before the crevices become too massive to stop from spreading and half of our time is gone. It took me weeks to handle the power and gain control. Right now, we should be focusing on how to do this, not on the negative effects," he replied steadily.

Mel reached over, taking the book back. "But is this really a guaranteed solution? How do we know we can count on this kind of thing? I think the Lost Sigils would be stronger, that way Erik can just carve more and maybe a life won't be needed."

"Do you know how much Dakocite I'd need for that?" he asked, seizing the volume. He read the paragraph to himself, wanting to see the words in plain black and white. "But that's not a definite resolution. It says _only_ the Nova stone."

"Which is why I'm doing this," Seth begrudgingly said to settle their dispute. "I just don't think my arm can handle the massive fluctuation of intensity directly. I haven't used the Nova stone for a long time now. I never needed to after this happened to my arm. Erik, I'm going to need more alterations made. Rion, can you and Mel figure out what needs to be done for this to work? I'm going to find Maia and ask her if she saw anything else." He left the room after his requests were made. The members simply glanced at each other.

"I'll go talk to him," Mel whispered. "Just do what he asked for now." She exited, catching up to their leader down the hall after making a turn around the crumbling corner. "Seth, you can't be okay with this… I know you."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Of course I'm not," he confessed, lowering his gaze as it transmitted growing grief straight into her without trying. Every move they made, it felt as if they ended up taking two steps back. "But it's what needs to be done for Rados… We have a solution and if we, as Defenders, ignore it… we're not doing what's expected. It's exactly like Kara said… sometimes sacrifices need to be made. Maybe this is how it was meant to be, how far I'm supposed to go."

"But, I mean, you don't…" She stopped herself, halting the brimming sorrowful words before they left her mouth. She knew prematurely there was no way to change his set mind. But sensed he didn't fully want to go through with it. Their pride as protectors to their homeland shadowed their humanity when placed against personal gain and life itself. When was it enough? They gave so much and added little along the way.

He placed his palm against her cheek, seeing wetness sting her eyes. "I know, but the realm is more important than one life… and if I don't do this, we'll all die. Just because the balance of Rados can support a few portals and passages to the past, this is too much. And because it has to be me, I will do this without a second thought. Maia said there were at least thirty, even more orbs radiating in the sky. And it's bound to grow if I don't stop this soon."

She threw her arms around him, trying not to fall prey to her emotions. "You're always so reckless." The wizard bit her lip as her eyes lowered. Her heart felt worn from the tug and pull match she denied when confliction ran through the pulsation. Swallowing her words was the only thing she could do for him.

"Do me a favor," he spoke quietly, moving her arms down. "Keep an eye on everyone. They need someone to keep order."

"Seth, I…" she began, her fingers resting on his writs.

"We don't have the time for this. I'd apologize a thousand times over if I thought it would help, but we both know… it won't." He turned from her piercing scrutiny, placing a few paces between them. His head was held downward as his tone came out broken despite himself. "Can can you look after Omnikragg after this is all over? I don't want him to lose another master…" He placed the stone in her hand without making eye contact. "Please?"

"Of course," she slightly muttered, her fingers tightening as he walked away again. She wouldn't stand for this any longer. Just because he was willing to give into this result, it didn't mean she couldn't find a better method.

* * *

"Is it ready, Erik?" Seth asked, examining the lifeless heading as it nursed a rising sun. It took them longer than expected to get prepared for the transaction. He already settled with the cost even though a shaky anxiety ran over him to contradict his conclusion.

"Yeah, it should support the energy released from the Nova stone, but you only get one shot." A fierce gust sliced through the grass. It served as a reminder on the dwindling time that elapsed around them. Even though his intellect helped on many different instances, there was nothing he could do to stop this from occurring, only accept the fact. He knew he needed to act strong, although it was never really in him.

"The book said aim for the center," Rion added, dropping his gaze. A wave of energy swamped down, striking the defenders with intense might. It meant time was being cut close. "Less than an hour… These waves keep getting faster."

He placed his stone into the mech arm, slowly getting ready to fire. His limb transformed into its canon shape. "Alright, let's hope this actually does the trick," he said a hollow voice to himself, taking a drawn breath. He couldn't second guess now. He knew his father would do the same without thinking twice.

Mel had to stop herself from taking a step forward or extending her voice and call out for him to stop. Her hands tightened at her sides, shoulders becoming tense. There had to be some way to stop his life force from draining afterwards and she may have discovered a possible way, however, it had to be last minute. So there was nothing she could do until then. She knew she wasn't the only one who searched for an alternative, but felt as if she had it in her to save him.

The lead defender raised his arm. He swallowed dryly, placing a slight grip against the metal. "Here it goes."

"Seth, are you positive?" Her voice rung out with a slight quiver against the stillness.

He nodded, not wanting to look back at the others. It would dissolve his resolve instantly. "Nova Henge!" A burst of blue energy soared up into the air. The amount of unexpected force caused his foot to slide back. He cringed trying to keep hold. His arm was shaking violently, the magnitude too much for him to handle. He grit his teeth, hearing his friends call out his name. His head thrust back as his energy diminished rapidly, allowing a scream to escape him. He had to keep his arm steady until all the power was drained and released. How long he could possibly keep this up was left to his own strength and being through so much, he could last long enough.

Mel looked up to the sky, witnessing the orbs growing smaller, becoming nonexistent sparks that danced in the sky, amongst the blast of control overpowering each and every one. Her watering eyes landed back on the fifteen year old. He looked like he was in so much pain. Strain was easily placed in the teen's posture. She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts. The scroll she discovered held the only possible transaction of energy which held any form of remote assistance.

His breath was escaping swiftly. Lightheadedness took over as splotches of black crossed his vision in worn clouds. A dull ringing stung his ears, piercingly loud against the extended energy stream. All the pain became numb as the beating in his chest ceased ever so slowly. The stinging weariness ruptured through his entire body, causing his inhaled breath to create further pain on his lungs. When the blast came to a gradual close, he felt nothing, falling back as everything faded around him.

The water in her eyes obscured her view, her hands held each other in lacking comfort near her chest. She was the first to run out as the blue above returned to its normal state. When she reached him, she fell to her knees, lifting his head. Her glance turned back towards the others. "There's still a way to save him," she said rapidly. "I found a spell. Erik, the Lost Sigils, I need them now."

He handed them over to her with palpable confusion. "I thought there was nothing we could do. Seth said it already." His voice was dry as he tried to remove his stare to face the female.

"What are you planning?" Rion asked, rushing over from the sidelines after asking Maia to stay back.

"It's not me, it's us." She had one hand resting over Seth's heart, not feeling a single sign of life. She extended her other arm. "We can revive him with some of our life force and the power of the sigils around us. But most importantly the ones that you carved are needed."

Erik sighed. "But Mel…"

"Just please, we have to try it," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. They nodded and connected their hands. If a way existed then there was no question about what should be done. She inhaled, her eyes turning an icy blue glow. When she spoke, her words echoed around them, filling their ears with a minimal amount of hope they nearly let go of beforehand. "Ogama, Dako, Yin, Yan, Altas, Nega, Sum, Infinis, Vitus, Nostrum Vitae, Ethos, Orn-Ra, Mal-Ra." She felt a great amount of energy surround them and be drawn away. The Lost Sigil stones floated above, shining brightly as their force was dwindling. A wrapping lifelessness threw itself upon them. Her hands started vibrating against the others. Trying to keep hold proved difficult.

Seth's eyes abruptly snapped open. He heaved in a heavy gasp, coughing as his head fell back.

"It worked," she uttered relieved in exhaustion. A smile fell to her face. "You're okay…"

"Mel, what did you do? I told you… not to," he managed to choke out almost inaudibly.

Her tears were wiped away only to allow more to come. "Just because you're our leader, it doesn't mean we always have to follow your orders." She turned her head, helping him sit up. "Rion, can you get some water?"

"Sure," he said as Erik got up to check the readings on the sky. They wanted to give the two space, leaving without the words given.

Seth leaned forward about to say something else, but was cut off by the wizard. "I know you were prepared to die for Rados and maybe it was against your want to be saved, but I couldn't let you go… not now. We've been together so long and I never realized it before, but the thought of losing you made me see that I-"

"Me too," he said, pressing his lips against hers. He pulled back after the sudden kiss ended. "Thank you… for not listening to me for once. Just don't make it a habit," he added halfheartedly.

She pulled him into a hug, feeling his arms wrap around her waist. "I should be thanking you. You were always here for me. I should've seen that sooner. But I guess the old saying is true. You never realize what you have until it's gone."

Seth dragged the wetness from her face with a gentle thrust of his finger, his forehead inclined towards her. "Yeah, I realized that a few times already." It must have been etched into his mind, this feeling. The one where he felt an underlying surge of being lost when he was near the people he deemed important in his life. It never escaped him but he was learning to ignore it and accept the opposite. Every time he found himself gone from the others, when he quit, he always came back. "There's always going to be more danger and sacrifice, but it shouldn't stop us from holding onto consistency. Rados is always going to need the Defenders and sometimes we forget what we give up in order to protect others."

"I can agree with that," she said, helping him stand, his arm around her for balance. "But that doesn't mean we should forget we're people too. We have a mission, instilled in us due to our parents and their deaths. We face the same risks… I just think we need to remember along the way that we have control over our lives. I know you believe in the words Professor Alnar said, which I'm not disrespecting in any way, but we need our leader and friend around more than you think."

Seth offered a slight smile. "We lost a lot along the way. A day will come when we have no choice but to fall into the footsteps of our parents, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves yet. We still have each other."

Mel turned her head back before rounding her stare to his weakened state. "Your energy is still depleted. When we get back to the dojo, you should rest." She reached into her pocket. "And you should have this back."

He took hold of his guardian stone, lightly whispering his thanks. "Alright, let's head back home," he said aloud as the others came into a group and they began walking home.


End file.
